Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or even the idea of Jigoku Shoujo.
Story: At midnight, there is a rumor of a site that can only be accessed then and only if there is hatred and a need for revenge. Type in the name of your enemy and Jigoku Shoujo will send them to Hell. And Naruto will do so.
Set as an AU.
Spoilers: Hai, for both Jigoku Shoujo and Naruto.
Warnings: Violence, language, etc.
Pairings: I don't know. I don't really think it'll be the main part anyway.

Jigoku Shoujo: Eikyuu no Sonzai
Chapter Twenty One (Epilogue): Fukurokouji no Mukou (Beyond the Dead End)

They say that a grudge carries on and buries itself deep within one's heart. That it can carry on in death, if it was never resolved in life.

But if there was a way to resolve it…would you? If you can make it all stop, would you take that choice?

Then it's a choice between eternal damnation and getting revenge, does the answer stay the same in the end?

Sometimes it does.

And there must always be a Hell Girl to take those duties and offer a choice and vengeance on their behalf. There will always be Enma Ai to make sure those who suffer can make a choice to stop that suffering, no matter what cost.

It is an endless cycle of hate, and it can never be stopped.

"Do you understand what you have done?"

"Hai."

"This now goes beyond either of us. It has been passed and nothing has yet been done conclusively, but gods and time are not inconsequential beings. I am but one god. And for now anyway, they have left things in my hands for the most part."

"And what will you do, Jigoku no Kami-sama?"

"I interfered last time. But you have succeeded and gone beyond any boundaries and expectations. This time, I will quietly watch and see, and curiously see how much farther and bolder you can go, Ai. I will allow you to do and see as you fit, and will not interfere. My Harbinger, what will you do now?"

"I will see as I go."

The Spider laughed. "Let us make a bet and bargain on this then. I will truly not interfere or help the other side again…because I wish to see what you will do and what will come now of these new events. Especially now that you have broken your chains from me. So you may have free reign to do as you wish. However, if you lose in the end, your chains will be repaired, and if I am dissatisfied at any time, I shall interfere as I wish, even if that means being willing to make a deal again with the other side."

"I understand. I will not fail this time."

The God of Hell laughed again before it spun away and disappeared.

She cocked her head and a slow smile crossed her lips. Then she dissolved into blue particles.

When Sarutobi Hiruzen looked out in his village, he saw blue skies, warm faces and laughter all around, and his extended family whole, alive and happy. It brought a smile to his own face and he felt content in the village that was his home.

He decided he'd take a walk through the village. It was a nice day and he wanted to be among his people.

Hiruzen breathed in the fresh air, and thought that the world seemed alright for the moment. He felt as if something was off, something was missing…but he couldn't help but just feel relieved and happy about everything.

Even if only for the day, he would like to just be at peace and enjoy life.

He kept walking, until he made it to the Academy. Perhaps he should stop by and visit a classroom. Particularly the classroom filled with the young hopefuls that he looked most forward to seeing graduate in the future…

Ah, but he was too late at the moment. It seemed that it was time for recess and for the little ones to go out and let loose for awhile.

He spotted a few of the clan heirs, all playing some type of game. There was Inoichi's child bickering with Councilwoman Haruno's daughter (they were stalking young Sasuke). And Hiashi's child was quietly gathering flowers sweetly.

He frowned. The Haruno girl was acting odd. Her face kept looking confused and she kept glancing at the Uchiha, not in adoration as she had before, but in irritation and reluctant fondness –as if she knew the boy close enough, not just as the fangirl she and the others were acting as at the moment. She also was glancing in a direction that seemingly held nothing in view.

The Uchiha was also acting strange. Though he was, as usual, brooding and being standoffish, he was also periodically tugging lightly at an odd pendant around his neck (Hiruzen did not recall him ever having that) and staring off into space. He also kept glancing in the same direction the Haruno had, but Hiruzen still couldn't see anything.

But then he did see.

Suddenly, there was a familiar blonde there, when a second ago she had not been. Uzumaki Naruto, to him also known as Jigoku Shoujo and Enma Ai, wasn't doing anything particularly alarming or interesting. She was merely standing there, staring at the sky.

A moment later she reached up to the sky with one nimble hand, and he had to smile at her simple actions. Such a dark being as she was, truly she was easily amused and happy at little things in life. He wished more of the world could be like her, and then it wouldn't be so filled with hate.

She would be out of a job then though.

He chuckled quietly to himself. Seemingly as though his thoughts and chuckle brought her attention upon him, she looked his way and he smiled gently at her. She smiled back and gave a tiny wave.

If only this goofy persona she'd made up could be the real her, and she wouldn't be the sad soul she really was…

His smile faltered and he tensed a little, as he noticed that her eyes were completely red. She was still smiling at him, but he felt himself grow cold. She nodded at him and he nodded grimly back, before she turned around and began to aimlessly walk around the playground.

He understood. He understood that something was coming Konoha's way, the likes of which the village had never seen before (Or had it? Everything seemed so very, very strange and off, and just a bit déjà vu and too much of coincidences…). He knew that something was coming and he would have to solemnly greet this enemy steadfastly.

Naruto glanced back at him, tilting her head curiously. She briefly smiled at him again, slowly lifting a single finger to her lips and making almost like a 'shh!' gesture that seemed uncharacteristic and yet fitting. She then went back to doing whatever it was she was doing.

He couldn't help smiling again. When this new enemy came to Konoha's doorstep, he would greet them, but he seemed to have company to help him greet this threat. Having Naruto be right behind him in all this was rather comforting and rather awe-inspiring.

Having Jigoku Shoujo have your back was more than reassuring and encouraging, and there was something to be said to be able to have such a lucky circumstance.

He started to walk into the Academy to wait for the younger ones, still a spring in his step. Perhaps even a little more springy…

Meanwhile, not too far from there, Hatake Kakashi was having the worse day ever. He had a persistent ache in his Sharingan eye, that was constant and never let up at all. He had the urge to claw it out every other minute.

And he was suddenly having this strange habit of scratching insistently at his hitai-ate that covered that implanted eye, and if he wasn't scratching the metal plate, he couldn't help tugging the cloth every which way and that. Oddly enough, this new action seemed to have nothing to do with the eye it was covering (and was causing him much grief).

He wasn't the only one having trouble. When Uchiha Sasuke went home, he restlessly paced the entire place. And though he usually didn't go anywhere outside of his building, he actually traveled the rest of the Uchiha District like a ghost. His soul felt restless. Everything about him felt restless. His nerves were alight with fire somehow and he felt invigorated and yet lifeless at the same time.

Nothing was making sense to him.

And when his female counterpart went to her home, Haruno Sakura was also feeling on edge. She couldn't talk to her parents, because she always felt like snapping at them all the time. She didn't want to, but she couldn't help it.

And her hair. She kept wanting to chop it all off. Every time she got a good look at it, she'd yank on the pink locks painfully, glaring at them at whatever reflection she was using at the time.

Sometimes Sakura wanted to just shave her entire head.

Naruto, on the other hand, was completely calm. She was content with the way the events were unfolding for now. She and the others had a second chance, and she was quite sure of the upper hand she had.

However, she still needed a few things to be done before she could be at full strength. And to start with, she had work here to do in Konoha, while things should start picking up in Sunagakure this time around.

She had huge plans in Suna, though part of how she needed to be in full strength was located there as well.

She was just waiting on time for now.

Sabaku no Gaara glared out in front of him, ignoring his family going around the house and hurrying to finish packing. His siblings kept bickering about every little thing for every other second, getting on his nerves. His father was in his office, quietly finishing some last minute paperwork. For himself, he simply sat on his bed, scowling at his wall as he waited for everyone to be done. His pack was already finished beside him.

His father appeared at his doorway. "Gaara, meet at the front in a minute. We're leaving."

He disappeared quickly and Gaara grunted irritably, grabbing his pack and strapping it to his side. He got his gourd and slung it across his back, and then started heading to the front of the house to wait there.

All too soon, they were traveling the desert and heading to the Capital of the Land of Wind. The desert journey was quiet and only punctured by Kankuro and Temari's persistent fighting. Gaara just ignored all of them, not bothering to truly pay attention to any of what they had to say or do, and only responded or said anything if he was directly addressed.

By the time they had reached the Capital, Gaara's irritation had risen and he was craving to kill something. However, he couldn't stray from his family just yet. They had to go in front of the Wind Daimyo, who talked too much and said a bunch of crap that Gaara had no intention of listening to, and had nothing to do with him anyway.

The man was absolutely terrible and disgusting. It was too bad Gaara couldn't kill him.

He and his family were shown to their suite and his father had them unpack into their individual rooms. Idly and letting his irritation die down, Gaara unpacked quickly and had sat on his provided bed for awhile, taken to ignoring the others once more. For awhile, he heard nothing but the quiet and muffled sounds of his family moving around outside his room. He lulled a little into a sort of semi-meditative state, though he was careful not to fall truly asleep.

Strangely, he started to hear a soft voice whisper a sad sounding song, and he strained his ears in his sleepy state to hear it more clearly.

When will thesakura flowers dance?
When the singing child of seven sleeps

When will the sakura flowers wilt?
When the dead child of seven rises…

Gaara jolted awake and looked around in paranoia, ignoring the shiver threatening to run down his spine as he recalled the words from the song. Scowling heavily, he got up and exited out of the room, where he found that his family was starting to gather.

"Good, Gaara. You're here already," his father spoke with a quick glance at him. "We will not be here for long. It'll be a short stay. I still want everyone on their best behavior and to not antagonize anyone. Gaara, don't hurt or kill anyone. Just…try to keep to yourself, if you wander around," he finished resignedly.

He then gave everyone his permission to wander off on their own and do what they wanted (within reason), while he went and met with the Wind Daimyo. He did expect them back later, to stay and observe in the actual meeting between the Daimyo and his advisors.

Gaara left as soon as he could, traveling away from their suite and through the palace to the exit. As he passed the hall that had the palace doors wide open, he heard the sound of some girls singing.

"Why do crimson branches dance for the village streets? Children of seven, singing, call down the wind.Why do wilting flowers fall from the cherry tree? Children of seven, dying, to wake once more…"

He wouldn't admit his breath sped up, and he hurried passed the now whispering girls, who stopped the moment he passed them, eerily watching him with unblinking eyes that followed him all the way to his exit out of there and through the doors into open air.

He went through the market with no purpose, and continued to walk around with no real destination in mind. People kept out of his way, instinctively knowing not to come near and that he was dangerous, even without knowing who he was.

Irritated, he searched out a place that would sell his favorite food, and quickly bought some and went on his way to a quiet and isolated place, somewhere he wouldn't be disturbed and further annoyed. He took the time to eat and fill his stomach, as well as settle down and calm himself, which the food partly helped to do. After that, he threw away the remnants of his food, and went back to idly walking around, scowl permanently etched onto his face and serving to keep others away.

Figuring he could do with finding something to entertain himself, his eyes caught sight of a girl who looked to be with her father. They were dressed in fine clothing, indicating their wealth and status, and he was grasping the shoulder of the girl (though it looked a little too tightly). The girl had her head bowed as the father amiably talked with a merchant, and Gaara couldn't get a clear glimpse of her face. Suddenly she looked up just the slightest, and he could see her eyes a little.

She had such dull, dull, lifeless eyes…

She looked back down and Gaara hurried passed, frowning as he tried to ignore the uneasy feeling he had. In the distance, he saw the tall and wide structure of a library and decided that it might help to curb his boredom and idleness to go into it, and maybe find something to read.

He grew closer to it and missed the strange sounds of bells softly ringing eerily in the distance…

Blonde wisps of hair swayed as red eyes watched the red head approach the library, and a strange little smile played on her lips. She murmured almost rather silently to herself.

"Children of seven, dying, to wake once more~."

Started 9/7/13 – Completed 9/13/13

A/n: And the end of this fic! I was hoping to end this fic by reaching 200 reviews, but oh well. Anyway, the sequel is called Jigoku Shoujo: Rengoku Suna, and should be posted up near this new chapter. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and the whole fic, and hope you to see you in the sequel! Please review!